The invention is directed to a process for the production of aliphatic and cycloaliphatic .alpha.-ketocarboxylic acid amides by partial saponification of acyl cyanides. These .alpha.-ketocarboxylic acid amides are useful as intermediate products for the synthesis of pharmacologically important hydroxy quinoxalines.* They also can be hydrolyzed further to the corresponding free acids which can be used as disclosed in our application Ser. No. 802,899, filed on even date and claiming the priority of German application P 27 08 185.2. * FNT For this purpose the amides are hydrolized to the ketocarbonic acids and then condensed with o-phenylene-diamines.
Previously such .alpha.-ketocarboxylic acid amides have been produced from acyl cyanides by careful treatment of the cyanide with fuming hydrochloric acid (L. Claisen, E. Moritz, Ber. deutsch. Chem. Ges. 13 (1880) page 2121). The disadvantage of this process is that very small yields are obtained. Thus in the saponification of butyryl cyanide there is only a yield of 12% and in the saponification of isobutyryl cyanide there is only found a yield of about 3% of the corresponding amide (E. Moritz, J. Chem. Soc. 39 (1881) pages 13 to 19, particularly 13 and 16.